One of the champagne houses with an amazing history, Champagne Taittinger dates back to 1734 when a wealthy textile merchant named Jacques Fourneaux founded a Champagne house named Forest-Fourneaux. At the time he was working with Benedictine monks in learning howe to make sparkling wines. This house remained intact until the 1930s when Pierre Taittinger bought the house and named it after himself, also purchasing the estate vineyards.
After years of developing the brand, Taittinger became wildly popular in the 1950s and today it is one of the largest houses in Champagne, producing roughly 5-6 million bottles annually. Most people are familiar with their great NV Taittinger ‘Brut La Francaise’ (OB, 91) which embodies most of their production and is a killer value with really good range. Taittinger has also been a hit in James Bond movies, as Bond enjoyed Taittinger in “Casino Royale.” Taittinger also founded Domaine Carneros in 1987 which has become one of the finest sparkling wine houses not only in California but North America. They also make a killer, very delicate NV Rose Champagne (OB, 92) showing off very pretty red fruits and citrus notes. Learn more about this famed house at https://www.taittinger.com/en and here are my reviews of the new releases by Champagne Taittinger.
NV Taittinger ‘Brut La Francaise’ Champagne- The NV ‘Brut La Francaise’ is a great blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%), sourcing from over 35 different vineyards and vintages. This is a very fresh and beautifully textured champagne, with a refined mousse. Biscuit and salted Marcona almond combine with green apple and kumquat rind on the palate. Offering good freshness, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2024-2032- 91
NV Taittinger ‘Brut Rose’ Champagne-The NV Taittinger Rose offers bright red rose petals and orange blossom tones aromatically, alongside suggestions of honeydew melon and strawberry. The palate is refined with a smooth mousse. Showing excellent poise, and a delicate core of red fruits, with orange peel accents and plenty of stony minerals, this beautiful wine is best consumed now and over the next eight years. Drink 2024-2032- 92
NV Taittinger ‘Prelude’ Champagne- The NV ‘Prelude’ Champagne os a beautiful wine that was aged for more than five years on the lees and is a blend of equal parts of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir entirely sourced from Grand Cru vineyards. Given 6 G/L dosage, this delivers salted French bread and pastry crust nots on the nose alongside shades of lime zest and Macadamia nut. The palate is rich and enticing with a dense texture and beautiful sense of weight. Very viscous, enjoy this outstanding champagne now and over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 93